…as police gas protesters
RIOT police in Pittsburgh fired tear gas at anti-capitalist protesters yesterday as up to 2,000 activists barricaded the streets in an unauthorised demonstration.
Police told the protest group, calling itself G20 Project Resistance, to disperse after they gathered a few hundred metres away from the convention centre.
But the demonstrators reacted angrily, using rubbish bins and other debris to block the road, as police resorted to firing tear gas and letting off high-pitched sirens in an effort to drive them away.
Soldiers in armoured vehicles were also posted on Pittsburgh’s streets, while many shops and offices boarded up their windows in fear of attacks on property.
Police said the protesters had not obtained a permit for their rally, but there were no reported arrests or injuries.